by Candace Sams
He sensed a presence coming near. It wasn’t yet time for Frankie to arrive for the weekend. Garrett, Jean and the household staff were ensconced for the evening. He had spent the day riding one of Garrett’s prized Andalusians, and was now hungry enough to eat said stallion if it weren’t for the fact that he’d never harm the beautiful animal.
When his visitor was close enough, he turned to greet Trey. His friend was carrying a couple of large, square boxes. The wonderful smell gave him hope that tonight’s offering was pizza that had obviously been ordered from the village.
“Mac, why the hell can’t you come down to the castle and eat there like a normal human being?”
“Normal human being? That’s cute, Trey. Real cute.” Mac chuckled. “Ever since your sister started catering meals up here, I’ve gotten used to sitting around her makeshift Round Table, and eating the way people used to in antiquity. I find it quite enjoyable.”
“Well, the view is fantastic, I’ll give you that. But it’s cold.”
“I’ve got some whiskey that’ll take the chill off.”
“Great,” Trey mused, “whiskey and pizza. Not a bad duo.”
“Have you heard from her, yet?”
“Patience my Welsh friend. Sarah called before she left London. She’ll be here any time now.”
Mac rubbed his hands together as Trey put the pizza boxes down on their rock table and opened them.
“I’m not waiting for Sarah. She’ll bring something else to eat anyhow. I just can’t wait that long. I’m starving. May as well dig in before the pies get cold,” Trey advised.
Mac did so, with gusto. Trey was right in that his sister usually brought something she’d cooked, and would reheat in the ovens at the castle. Then, she’d bring that food up the hill, where they’d take a second supper for a long evening that would last until almost dawn. When dawn approached, he’d go back to the castle with Frankie. What happened then…that was what he so waited for.
As to the food, immortals burned a lot of calories. The more they ate, the better. That Trey didn’t mind bringing the pizza was a bonus.
Mac handed his friend a bottle of whiskey and watched as he took a swallow before handing the bottle back.
“Say, that’s not bad. Irish whiskey seems to go well with pepperoni.”
Mac laughed before taking a swill of the drink himself. As he finished his first piece of the pizza, he dove in for another, then remembered a question he’d been meaning to ask.
“Say…why is it that neither you or Frankie will use your current names when speaking about one another?”
Trey shrugged. “She’ll always be Sarah to me. I’m Scott to her. That’s just the way it is.”
“Next time you both change names, you may as well go back to those.”
“Good idea. It’s about time for a change of identities. What about you?”
“I’ve only been using Macsen Rhys for about ten years. I’m known by it. No since changing it these days. Not with sixteen-year-old girls all over Twit-Face so enamored of it!”
Trey laughed uproariously. When he finally got his humor under control, he pointed to Mac’s head. “What about the long hair?”
Mac arched his right brow. “What about it?”
“Why don’t you cut it and bring yourself into the twenty-first century. You look like one of those dudes on the cover of a damned romance novel.”
Mac burst out laughing. It felt good to be normal. Eat pizza. Talk with an old friend and just live life. If he couldn’t be normal, he could live like this.
Trey had been given permission to stay at Bloodnight Castle when he wasn’t on assignment somewhere. Since it was Halloween, and since the man knew this night was going to be special, Trey decided to have the weekend off. As Mac understood it, Garrett and Jean were planning a special party in the ballroom. For once in life, he was having fun. He sobered just enough to break a bit of news to his eating companion.
“I’ve got the ring,” Mac told him.
Trey gawked for a second, with a half-eaten slice of pizza in his mouth. He quickly gulped it down. “No shit? Can I see it?”
Mac pulled out a small, green velvet box from his left coat pocket and opened it. When he did, the late evening sunlight made the three-carat diamond sparkle like a northern star.
Designed with an old European cut, in an Edwardian style, he hoped Frankie would like it. With all the filigree work around the stone, it was a stunning piece.
“Holy shit!” Trey muttered as he gazed at the ornate piece of jewelry. “Where the hell did you find a rock like that?”
“You’re going to drop a brick when I tell you.”
Trey stared expectantly. Mac drew out the moment before saying, “Her Majesty gave me the diamond. It belonged to her grandmother, and came from an old tiara. I had it set in London, after the queen recommended a jeweler.”
When his friend’s eyes went wide as saucers, Mac broke into peals of laughter. He then put the small box back into his pocket. “You do think she’ll say yes, right?”
“If she doesn’t…I’ll marry you!” Trey joked.
“No thanks. You’re not my type. I prefer a beautiful angel with a sword in her hand.”
Trey suddenly stopped smiling and gazed across the landscape.
Mac sensed unexpected sorrow in his friend. “What’s wrong? What is it, Trey?”
“That’s what they called her back home.”
“Called who? What are you talking about?”
“Sarah. After the hurricane, the people of Galveston erected a small monument in a cemetery. I never told Sarah because she doesn’t want to talk about all that anymore. I don’t blame her. It’s just that…when you said that part about the angel…I remembered.
“I don’t understand.”
Trey took a deep breath before launching into an explanation. “After the hurricane, the people of Galveston eventually erected a few statues for the victims. One of the most poignant is near the beach, on the seawall. I only know about ‘em from news clippings I’ve read, since I never went back. According to what I read, they put up another one in the cemetery, for the Angel of Galveston.”
Mac’s tilted his head. “Frankie?”
“Yeah. You see…Sarah was always helping people. She took food to anyone who was sick. She helped at the orphanage. There wasn’t a charity that didn’t see her face in their doorway. She worked hard for the poor, and was loved by a lot of folks.” He paused. “You know that my immortality is why I left American. That, and I thought I had nothing left in the States. But, years later, I read about this other memorial. There was a picture of a small stone monument attached to the newspaper text. The inscription on the monument read: ‘From the people of Galveston, with grateful hearts. Sarah Eileen Pratt. Born April 10, 1873. Died September 8, 1900. May she be forever remembered as our Angel of Galveston’.”
Mac couldn’t speak.
“Don’t tell her I told you all that. It’d only make her sad.” Trey brightened. “At any rate, she’ll say yes when you propose, Mac. She loves you something fierce. I’ve never seen her so crazy about a guy.”
“I love her, too. I can’t live without her.”
“Forever is a long time. And you know that Britain and America won’t like the fact that you two have been…uh…”
“Lovers,” Mac finished. “I know some won’t like it. But that’s the way it is. They can get over it or do without both of us.”
“She’d say the same thing. And will when you ask her. I know it.”
“I do love her, Trey. I won’t ever love anyone the way I love your sister. I’ve been around for a very long time, and I’ve never felt like this before. Forever…that’s not long enough. Not nearly long enough to be with her.”
“You know I’ve got your backs. No matter what happens. If you ever need me for anything, I’ll drop what I’m doing and come running.”
“We’ll get it sorted. I don’t think too many on this side of the pond will object.
After all, I have Her Majesty’s blessing, as well as the gift of a diamond. The queen values what Frankie did during the war. That’s why she offered the gem.”
“Well…I guess I’ll be calling you brother soon.”
Mac smiled. “Yes, you will. And…if you think Frankie will like it…I’ll cut my damned hair for her.”
Tray gave a thumb up signal. “Just one more thing.”
“That is?”
“If you ever hurt her…you know the rest.”
“If I ever hurt her, you can use my sword to do it!” Mac promised.
“Speak of the devil. I think she’s here. I’ll find someplace else to be. Someplace where my sister can’t feel me near, hopefully,” Trey said as he stood and moved down the far side of the hill.
Mac hoisted himself up, and gazed at the slender woman approaching. She carried a large bag that was, as he’d imagined, likely filled with more food. He didn’t mind. Her insistence that he was cared for was but one more endearing quality.
He silently thanked Trey for having the tact to leave them alone. A proposal was usually done in private.
When she put her gear down and faced him, he wasted no time wrapping her in his arms, and kissing her long and deeply.
“Miss me, baby?” she asked when their kiss ended.
“Always.”
“I’ve brought a pumpkin,” she gleefully announced. “I want to light it, and scare the bejesus out of some of the trespassers that have been crawling on Bloodnight property lately. Jean and Garrett will be up later to eat, but I see you’ve got pizza,” she babbled. “That’s okay because I brought spaghetti and wine —”
“I love you, Francesca Radcliffe or Sarah Pratt!”
She slowly smiled. “I love you too, big guy…Little John or Macsen Rhys. You’re one of a kind.”
He simply stared at the lovely vision before him. With her dark green duster, tall brown boots and her hair blowing free in the autumn breeze, she could bewitch any man. Her smile could brighten the darkest night, just like it lit up his heart. Nothing kept her down. Not even the fact that her father was permanently incarcerated in London. She nor Trey went to see him. But the fact that he still lived, and was present in the world, never daunted her. She’d put him there, and knew it was a far worse punishment than death.
Not even the letdown of the battle they’d all waited for worried her. She once told him that, ‘Merlin always did precisely what he’d wanted to. So, no crying over a decision made without consulting any of the rest of the warriors’.
Things were as damned near perfect as they’d ever been in Mac’s life. He prayed that the question about to come out of his mouth wouldn’t be something that finally did bring Frankie down. She might love him, but she’d never said she’d go on with life, with him as her husband. If she said no, there’d be a good reason about which he’d been uniformed. Then, both would live with depressive thoughts.
“Frankie?”
“Yeah?”
“I have something to ask you.”
The smile on her face grew even larger. “The answer is yes, and what took you so long?”
He tried to contain his mirth. “Are you going to let me ask?”
She nodded but chewed on her lower lip in expectation.
Mac brought the small box out of his pocket and opened it. “Marry me?”
She gasped and stared at the gemstone he held out. “I’ve never seen anything so beautiful, in my whole life. It’s like somebody pulled a whole galaxy out of the sky! It’s like looking at infinity.”
When silence ensued and her stare continued, Mac prompted an answer. “Frankie? Is it yes or no?”
She squealed loud and long, then jumped up to throw her arms around his neck. Just as quickly, she slid back down his body and held out her hand in acceptance of his ring. There were tears in her eyes as she smiled up at him.
He slid the ring slid on the third finger of her left hand. It settled there, as a perfect fit.
“I love you,” she softly repeated.
“I love you, too. You own me.”
He kissed her for a very long time, until they heard voices from the foot of the hill. “Garrett and Jean are on their way up. Shall we share the news?” she excitedly asked.
“I think they’ve got some of their own to share. Seems Garrett formally proposed to Jean a few days ago.”
Frankie gasped. “That’s why they were in London. Is Trey somewhere out here? I can’t wait to tell him,” she gushed.
“Um…I’m quite sure he’ll show up. Quite soon,” Mac advised as he lifted her hands and kissed the backs of them. “Happy Halloween, my love.”
“Happy Halloween, big guy. And, I want you to know that, wherever life takes us…no matter what happens in the future…nothing is gonna break us apart, Mac. When we go to the castle later tonight, I’ll make sure you know it.”
“I know it now, sweet girl. For right now, enjoy this Halloween evening. With me, and with family.”
“That’s what we all are, isn’t it?”
“We may be knights by someone else’s design, but we chose each other to be family.”
They turned to greet the others, and gather in fellowship.
Together, they sat around the large rock, and spent their first evening as brothers and sisters of the Round Table, under autumn skies.
It was a night Mac knew he’d never forget. He silently prayed that thousands of such wondrous occasions would grace his life. It was also the first time he’d known real happiness. It filled and consumed him.
He recognized three truths that night; truths that could never be altered by time.
A man was nothing without comrades. Comrades were nothing without love. Love would forever bind these friends, these goodly knights.
What more need be said?
About Candace Sams…
Candace Sams graduated from Texas A&M University with a BS in Agriculture, worked as a police officer with the State of Texas, did a brief stint with the Texas Department of Public Safety Undercover Narcotics Task force, and was also with the San Diego Police Department. She taught for the San Diego County Sheriff's Department, and worked in law enforcement in Alabama.
In 2000, Sams was among fifteen people - authorized by Act of Senate - to represent the USA as a martial arts ambassador to mainland China. Experiences in law enforcement, and martial arts (Shaolin Kung Fu) are frequently used in her career as an author - she is known for writing fight scenes into her fictional works. As an added note, Ms. Sams is also a Master Gardener and loves working outdoors. Hobbies include collecting rocks and Halloween paraphernalia.
After publishing over seventy titles in the fantasy, science fiction, paranormal, horror and action-adventure genres, she’s received more than thirty awards from various organizations, including five National Readers’ Choice Awards, and a USA Today Best Book award. Her Tales of The Order™ series, as well as several other works, are now being vetted for movie options.
Hailing from Texas, Candace loves the country life. She and her husband live in a rural area of the US. A plethora of dogs and cats have adopted them. She loves to hear from readers and can be contacted through her website at www.candacesams.com
Also find her on Twitter @CandaceSams and on her Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/CandaceSamsAuthor/
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Find more books by this author at:
https://www.amazon.com/Candace-Sams/e/B001USAELG/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_3?qid=1501370307&sr=1-3
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Glossary
Immortals – Men and women who, because of some grievous injury, have approached death but who have not crossed over. They are magically gifted with non-aging immortality, great physical strength, immense perceptive powers, and agility. They cannot reproduce. No human younger than those in their early twenties has ever achieved this state. The only way an immortal can die is by beheading, or by removal of their heart. Immortals are known to humanity, and generally feared by many, because of their greater strengths. They are also feared because many of their kind will not comply with any standard laws and regulations.
Rogues - Those immortals not complying with laws. Rogues are often hunted by law-abiding immortals and vice versa.
Ethereals – Immortals who are gifted with magical powers to varying degrees. These beings are rare, but kept secret from humanity. Merlin the Sorcerer claims to collectively govern their ranks. To date, no Ethereal has ever known to work outside the law even though they will hide from legal registration. By hiding, they believe they can never be forced to use their magical skills for immoral purposes.
Merlin – The ancient wizard of all wizards, Merlin is an Ethereal whose magical powers are, without question, among the greatest to have ever existed. Claiming to have come by his powers from Mother Nature, Merlin holds Ethereals superior to other immortals. He holds Ethereals superior to humankind.
Morgan LeFey – A woman of great magical skill, with only Merlin as her equal, she unsuccessfully attempted to manipulate circumstances in the 5th century so that her son, Mordred, might become ruler of all ancient Briton. Morgan is neither immortal or Ethereal. For centuries, she has obtained her magical powers and maintained her longevity by accessing dark and dangerous spells. She has been known to seek out magical objects to bolster her powers. She is greatly feared among all immortals and Ethereals though her frightening existence has, so far, been kept secret from humanity.